On March 20, European Union officials reached a historic deal to save failing banks by tapping both taxpayer and depositor funds. It may be illegal under EU Parliament, but is being rushed through to lock taxpayer and depositor liability into place before the dire state of eurozone banks is exposed.

Recession has returned to the eurozone for the second time since the financial crisis began in 2008. The region’s GDP fell by 0.1 percent in 2012’s third quarter, which followed a 0.2 percent contraction in the previous three months.